srijeda, 17. kolovoza 2011.

NEWS and EVENTS by CCRES August 17, 2011

CROATIAN CENTER of RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES

August 17, 2011

Advanced vehicles, like this version of the Ford Focus Electric, will benefit from the DOE-sponsored research program.
Credit: Ford

DOE announced on August 10 that it will offer more than $175 million over the next three to five years to accelerate the development and deployment of advanced vehicle technologies. The funds will leverage additional investments by the grantees for a total of more than $300 million. Forty projects across 15 states will help improve the fuel efficiency of next generation vehicles. Targets include innovations throughout the vehicle, such as better fuels and lubricants, lighter-weight materials, longer-lasting and less-expensive electric vehicle (EV) batteries and components, and engine technologies that more efficient. DOE's comprehensive approach to vehicle efficiency research and development will help ensure the technologies are available to help automakers achieve recently announced fuel efficiency standards.

For one award, the Ford Motor Company will get $1.5 million to identify fuel properties that enable novel low-emission combustion strategies. For another, United States Automotive Materials Partnership, LLC of Southfield, Michigan, will get $3.5 million to validate crash models for carbon-fiber composites. Overall, the selections focus on eight approaches to improving vehicle efficiency: advanced fuels and lubricants to enable optimal performance of advanced combustion engines; lightweight materials to accelerate commercial availability of lighter-weight vehicles while maintaining safety standards; lightweight multi-material prototype to design, build, and test a lightweight vehicle that is 50% lighter than a baseline light-duty vehicle, undertaken as part of the Clean Energy Dialogue with Canada; advanced cells for EV batteries; advanced power electronics and electric motor technology to develop the next generation of power inverters and electric motors; thermoelectric and enabling engine technology to convert engine waste heat to electricity; fleet efficiency to demonstrate fuel-efficient tire and driver feedback technologies; and advanced vehicle testing and evaluation. See the DOE press release and the award winners .

General Motors (GM) announced on August 11 that it has awarded a production contract to A123 Systems for batteries to be used in future GM electric vehicles (EV) that will be sold in global markets. A123, which operates a battery laboratory in Warren, Michigan, is a Massachusetts-based developer and manufacturer of advanced lithium ion batteries and systems. The contract includes advanced cells and fully integrated electronic components. The specific vehicles and brands will be announced later.

In preparation for production, teams from GM and A123 will work on developing calibrations and software controls for the battery system. The carmaker has said it is committed to offering a full line of electric vehicles and that each vehicle line calls for a different battery specification. GM and A123 are already working on next-generation lithium ion batteries. Also this week, the battery manufacturer was awarded $2,992,744 by DOE to develop and demonstrate dry-process electrode fabrication to reduce the cost of EVs. The award is part of DOE's $175 million support for advanced vehicle technologies. See the GM press release and the separate DOE advanced vehicles press release.

President Obama announced on August 16 that DOE, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the U.S. Navy will invest up to $510 million during to produce advanced drop-in aviation and marine biofuels that are completely interchangeable and compatible with conventional fuels. Over the next three years, in partnership with the private sector, the group will seek renewable sources to power military and commercial transportation. The initiative responds to a presidential directive as part of the administration's Blueprint for a Secure Energy Future, the framework for reducing dependence on foreign oil. The biofuels initiative is being steered by the White House Biofuels Interagency Work Group and the White House Rural Council.

Increased use of advanced biofuels is a key component of the administration's energy security agenda, but the United States lacks this manufacturing capability for next-generation drop-in biofuels in the United States. To accelerate the production of bio-based jet and diesel fuel, the departments developed a plan to jointly construct or retrofit several drop-in biofuel plants and refineries. This effort will help address energy security and national security challenges, and will provide economic opportunities.

The joint plan calls for DOE, USDA, and the Navy to invest a total of up to $510 million, with private industry providing at least a one-to-one match. The partnership aims to reduce U.S. reliance on foreign oil and create jobs while positioning American companies and farmers as global leaders in advanced biofuels production. See the White House press release and the departmental agreement.

DOE and the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced on August 11 that they have awarded 10 grants totaling $12.2 million to spur research into growing biofuel and bioenergy crops. The 10 projects are located in California, Colorado, Illinois, Florida, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Virginia. The investments are part of a broader administration effort to develop domestic renewable energy and advanced biofuels.

Overall, the projects are designed to improve special crops to be grown for biofuels—including selected trees and grasses—by increasing their yield, quality, and ability to adapt to extreme environments. Researchers will rely on the most advanced techniques of modern genomics to develop breeding and other strategies to improve the crops. The research will be conducted on poplar trees and three grasses—switchgrass, Miscanthus and Brachypodium—among other plants. The potential benefits of this research range from decreasing oil imports to increasing options for American farmers. Because these crops will be optimized to tolerate conditions such as drought and poor soils, they can be grown on marginal lands unsuitable for food crops, thereby avoiding competition with food production. See the DOE press release and the project descriptions.

Also on August 11, DOE reported that a team of researchers at its BioEnergy Science Center (BESC) have pinpointed the exact, single gene that controls ethanol production capacity in a microorganism. This discovery could be the missing link in developing biomass crops that produce higher concentrations of ethanol at lower costs. BESC is led by DOE's Oak Ridge National Laboratory and is one of three DOE Bioenergy Research Centers. See the DOE press release.

Biofuel jobs could be coming to a community near you, according to a collaborative report released on August 10 by DOE that details the huge potential of U.S.-produced biomass. Thanks to research from scientists and engineers from across industry, government, and several universities, the 2011 U.S. Billion-Ton Update: Biomass Supply for a Bioenergy and Bioproducts Industry report offers a glimpse of a clean energy economy made up of a significant portion of sustainably produced biofuels.

The 2011 Billion-Ton report is a follow-up to the original 2005 report that concluded the United States has the ability to annually produce a billion dry tons of biomass for biofuels, biopower, and bioproducts. The August 10 report—a joint effort by DOE, its national laboratories, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture—predicts that agricultural and forest lands from across the country can sustainably produce more than a billion tons of biomass annually, all by developing underutilized land resources and all while still meeting forecasted demands for food, feed, and fiber resources. See the Energy Blog post.

DOE announced on August 16 that it has finalized a $102 million loan guarantee to Record Hill Wind, LLC for a wind farm in Maine. The loan guarantee, in conjunction with an investment by Yale University's endowment, will support the Record Hill Wind project, which consists of a 50.6-megawatt wind power plant, an eight-mile transmission line, and associated interconnection equipment near the town of Roxbury, Maine. Developed and managed by Wagner Wind Energy I, LLC of New Hampshire and Independence Wind, LLC of Maine, the project will provide will create 200 construction jobs.

The Record Hill Wind project will consist of 22 turbines and new transmission lines to interconnect with Central Maine Power, the local utility. The turbines will be installed with innovative turbine load-control technology, a system of sensors and processing software that allows the turbines to continue to generate electricity under turbulent conditions, rather than be shut down completely. The system is also expected to reduce wear-and-tear on the turbines, reduce operation and management costs, and preserve the lifetime of the turbine components. DOE's Loan Programs Office has issued loans or loan guarantees, or has offered conditional commitments for loan guarantees totaling more than $40 billion to support 42 clean energy projects across the United States. See the DOE press release and the Loans Program Office website.

The U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) approved on August 10 the Desert Sunlight Solar Farm, a 550-megawatt (MW) solar power project to be built in the California desert east of Palm Springs. Desert Sunlight, the largest solar photovoltaic (PV) facility approved for U.S. public land, will generate enough energy to power more than 165,000 homes. It is located on approximately 4,100 acres. The facility will create more than 630 jobs at peak construction. In June, DOE granted Desert Sunlight project operators a conditional commitment of a $1.88 billion loan guarantee.

The project will be operated by a subsidiary of First Solar Inc., and it will use First Solar's thin-film PV technology. An on-site substation and a 230-kilovolt generation tie line will connect the project eventually with Southern California Edison's regional grid. The Desert Sunlight project underwent extensive environmental review and mitigation. DOI's Bureau of Land Management (BLM) worked with First Solar, the National Park Service, and other stakeholders to significantly reduce the proposed project's total footprint from 19,000 acres to 4,144 acres. In addition, the BLM is requiring that First Solar provide funding for acquiring and enhancing more than 7,500 acres of suitable habitat for desert tortoise and other sensitive wildlife species to help mitigate the project's potential impacts. See the DOI press release and the project fact sheet.

DOE and the National Science Teachers Association announced on August 16 the kick-off of registration for a nationwide student contest to help families save money by saving energy at home. America's Home Energy Education Challenge will engage elementary and middle school students to help them learn the science of energy and make wise energy choices about energy efficiency.

The National Science Teachers Association will run the program for DOE. The program will encourage students, teachers, and families to learn more about energy use and efficiency and to become more aware of how homes, schools, and utilities are interconnected. Registration begins August 16 and ends October 7, 2011. Participation in program will be broken into two parts: the Home Energy Challenge and the Energy Fitness Award. Each is designed to encourage students to learn about science and home energy savings, and participants can chose one or get involved with both. The Home Energy Challenge involves students and their teachers in the third through eighth grades in an energy use comparison activity in which data from the three-month competition period are compared to the previous year's energy use for the same three months. Schools and classes will compete within 11 regions for more than $200,000 in prizes that will be distributed at the regional and national levels of the competition. The first place regional award winners will qualify for the national competition, leading to evaluation for awards. See the Progress Alert, the America's Home Energy Challenge website, and previous coverage in EERE Network News.

It's a tale of two universities with a vision for one historic city. Students from both Hampton and Old Dominion universities have joined forces to compete in the upcoming U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2011 with their entry, called Unit 6 Unplugged. At Tidewater Virginia, the students will unveil their vision for the future—an energy-efficient house that captures the "Arts and Crafts" design style of homes dotted throughout historic Norfolk, Virginia.

One of the team's key design features is the transitional sunspace. During the warmer months the sunspace acts as an exterior porch—motorized windows open up to let air and sunlight filter in. During colder months, the sunspace transitions into an enclosed space that functions as a heat sink—the floor absorbs heat and disperses it throughout the house overnight. See the Energy Blog post.

Project CCRES AQUAPONICS

Project CCRES AQUAPONICS Course Overview Whether you are a beginner, a backyard hobbyist, a homesteader or a skilled professional wanting to start a career in Aquaponics this course has something to offer. This course is intended to provide people with the best all inclusive training, hands-on experience and cutting edge methods of Permaculture based Aquaponics available anywhere! Wether you want to grow food for you and your family, a small business or a fully commercial operation this course will be sure to give you the tools, information and experience you will need to be successful in what ever Aquaponic endeavor you are interested in. At a time of global climate change, depletion of resources, pollution of water and huge losses of top soil worldwide, there has never been a more important time to learn about CCRES Aquaponics! 'Imagine a technology that produces healthy organic food, clean water, and renewable energy all at the same time. We call it CCRES AQUAPONICS', says Alexandra Maradin, Vice President of CCRES

PROJECT CCRES SPIRULINA

PROJECT CCRES SPIRULINA 'The ongoing support from the private investment community speaks to how strongly they believe in the development of Green Crude as an alternative fuel resource, especially ability to commercialize it', says Branka Kalle, President of Council CCRES. Few consider seaweeds as a viable source of energy and protein for terrestrial animals (at least until their cost becomes more attractive). Macro-algae have been shown, however, to possess several functional properties, including those of a functional fiber, with immune-stimulating and prebiotic effects. Today, marine algal extracts are used as an additive in pig and poultry diets with promising results. Furthermore, micro-algae have been shown to contain high levels of beneficial lipids that can be used in layer and sow diets as a source of omega-3 fatty acids. Finally, both types of algae are used as an active component in clay-based anti-mycotoxin agents. For example, the treatment of clay with a macro-algal extract has been shown to increase the reactive surface of clay up to eight times. Croatian Center of Renewable Energy Sources (CCRES) offers several solutions that support the nutritional part of the production system. CCRES solutions combine algae feed additive products with their services, e.g. gut quality scoring, product application systems and customised dosing advice.

PROJECT CCRES ALGAE BIOFUEL

PROJECT CCRES ALGAE BIOFUEL 'Given the right conditions, algae can double its volume overnight. Microalgae are the earth’s most productive plants –– 10 to 15 times more prolific in biomass than the fastest growing land plant exploited for biofuel production. While soy produces some 50 gallons of oil per acre per year; canola, 150 gallons; and palm, 650 gallons, algae can produce up to 15,000 gallons per acre per year. In addition, up to 50 percent (or more) of algae biomass (dry weight) is comprised of oil, whereas oil-palm trees—currently the most efficient large-scale source of feedstock oil to make biofuels—yield approximately 20 percent of their weight in oil', says Zeljko Serdar, President of CCRES

PRISTUPNICA / APLICATION FORM

CCRES offers annual memberships for research institutions, public and private sector organizations, individual associates and students. Memberships are provide access to E-Newletters and invitations to CCRES seminars and other events. Annual Memberships: To become a member, please click JOIN NOW! Additional Benefits: Invitations to CCRES seminars, tours, lunches and other special events. Advance notice of joint-funding opportunities. Access to CCRES facilities. Receipt of E-Newsletter. Recognition and logo presence for CCRES websites. Ability to sponsor additional fellowships, meetings or seminars. A seat on the CCRES Advisory Board. Exclusive invitations to events. Listing on the CCRES webpage and blogs. High-profile inclusion in CCRES marketing materials.

Become an Activist

Join the movement ! Every day, CCRES supporters fight to make environmental education, clean energy solutions, and the green economy a reality. Add your voice to our rapidly expanding network of grassroots activists. Sign up. 'CCRES is a member-based non-profit organization with membership open to research institutions, public and private sector organizations, students, and individuals', says Zeljko Serdar, President & CEO of CCRES

We have discovered that everyone has a talent to give. Tapping into people’s skills and knowledge creates a more meaningful experience for the volunteer and those he or she serves. It can be expertise in a certain field to the ability to make others feel assured, cared for and safe. No matter what the talent or gift a volunteer shares with others, it helps to sustain a culture of relationship-building among many groups, including youth, seniors, businesses and other charitable organizations.

Everyone has a talent and a unique perspective and when shared with those in need, it helps to foster positive effects in their community, creating a new dimension in their own lives and the lives they touch.

CROATIAN CENTER of RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES provides green career seekers with the guidance, motivation, and direction they need to uncover their passions and plug into the green economy quickly and efficiently.

Our resource area, community, and coaching options enable you to:

Make more progress, more quickly with a guide to show you the best way to reach your green career goal.

Save time by knowing what to do next with a time-tested step-by-step plan.

Use your time wisely with organized, updated, online resources available 24/7.

Stay focused and in action with the personal touch of a coach who tracks your progress, keeps you on target, and inspires you to expand your vision.

Discover where your skills and experience fit within the emerging green economy.

Connect with other mid-career professionals who share your values and want to contribute to the emerging green economy.

Exude confidence, clarity, and excitment as you share your golas with your networking contacts and interview for positions.

CROATIAN CENTER of RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES (CCRES)• was founded in 1988 as the non-profit European Association for Renewable Energy that conducts its work independently of political parties, institutions, commercial enterprises and interest groups, • is dedicated to the cause of completely substituting for nuclear and fossil energy through renewable energy, • regards solar energy supply as essential to preserve the natural resources and a prerequisite for a sustainable economy,• acts to change conventional political priorities and common infrastructures in favor of renewable energy, from the local to the international level, • brings together expertise from the fields of politics, economy, science, and culture to promote the entry of solar energy, • provides the opportunity to play a part in the sociocultural movement for renewable energy by joining the association for everyone, • considers full renewable energy supply a momentous and visionary goal - the challenge of the century to humanity.
CCRES Vision and Mission
VISION
To excel as an applied research and development center with an international reputation, focusing on the optimal use of the nation's energy resources for the benefit of its people.
MISSION
As a Center of Renewable Energy Source, we will pursue the Vision by:
Performing sound fundamental and applied research to develop industrially relevant technologies
Collaborating with stakeholders to implement novel technologies
Providing technologies to improve the environment
Contributing to the formulation of technically sound policies related to energy and the environment
Developing the capabilities of our colleagues while fostering a mutually supportive work environment with respect for individuals
Acting in good faith and with integrity in all our dealings to build long lasting relationships with all our stakeholders
Contributing to the teaching and instruction aim of Croatia by educating students from pre-college to postgraduate levels and being involved in labor force development
Collaborating with colleagues to promote CCRES objectives
Promoting objective of developing and benefiting from its Intellectual Property with a balance between the publication of scientific results and patenting
Providing public service in the areas of scientific education and our energy related competencies.

Welcome Volunteers !

Thank you for volunteering for the CROATIAN CENTER OF RENEWABLE ENERGY ( CCRES ) !Volunteers have been the key to the success of the CCRES for the past 20 years and we hope YOU will help make the 2017 CCRES even better!! We are looking for volunteers to help with the our program. (150 volunteers needed).

All ages (adults and students) and skill levels are encouraged to volunteer - students, and student groups are welcome to volunteer for CCRES service and program .

Don't worry - we will send you a reminder once you sign up using the link below.

In addition, each volunteer will attend a refresher course, specific to your assignment, the morning of the event. No worries - you will be well prepared!

In addition to fun and excitement, we will also provide breakfast, a yummy lunch, dinner (if you stick around), and a fabulous CCRES t-shirt! Why wouldn't you sign up???

Making a Donation to the CROATIAN CENTER of RENEWABLE ENERGY CENTER (CCRES)

Without generous private donations the CROATIAN CENTER of RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES would be unable to continue the valuable work it does in bringing objective information to an often overheated debate.
Making a donation is simple: a cheque payable to CROATIAN CENTER of RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES can be posted to the following address:
CROATIAN CENTER of RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES
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CROATIA
or on
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RENEWABLE COMMUNITY

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